Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Decadal variation of temperature inversions along Line P

  • Short Contribution
  • Published:
Journal of Oceanography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hydrographic data measured for 50 years along Line P between the North American west coast and mid Gulf of Alaska as well as data from profiling float observations were analyzed to study the formation and variation of temperature inversions in the eastern subarctic North Pacific. Remarkable decadal to inter-decadal variation was observed in the magnitude of temperature inversions. This variation was mostly attributed to the variation of southward Ekman transport, eastward geostrophic transport, and surface cooling.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  • Collecte Localisation Satellites (2011) SSALTO/DUACS user handbook: (M)SLA and (M)ADT near-real time and delayed time products, version 2rev4, Rep. SALP-MU-P-EA-21065-CLS, Ramonville St-Agne, France

  • Crawford WR, Sutherland P, Hardenberg PV (2005) Cold water intrusion into the Gulf of Alaska in 2002. Atmos Ocean 43(2):119–128. doi:10.3137/ao.430201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford WR, Galbraith J, Bolingbroke N (2007) Line P ocean temperature and salinity 1956–2005. Prog Oceanogr 75:161–178. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2007.08.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Boyer Montégut C, Mignot J, Lazar A, Cravatte S (2007) Control of salinity on the mixed layer depth in the world ocean: 1 General description. J Geophys Res 112:C06011. doi:10.1029/2006JC003953

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Lorenzo E, Fiechter J, Schneider N, Bracco A, Miller AJ, Franks PJS, Bograd SJ, Moore AM, Thomas AC, Crawford WR, Peña A, Hermann A (2009) Nutrient and salinity decadal variations in the central and eastern North Pacific. Geophys Res Lett 36:L14601. doi:10.1029/2009GL038261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodimead AJ, Favorite F, Hirano T (1963) Salmon of the North Pacific Ocean Part II: Review of Oceanography of the Subarctic Pacific Region Bull 13. International North Pacific Commission, Vancouver

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery WJ, Thomson RE (1998) Data analysis methods in physical oceanography. Elsevier, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Favorite F, Dodimead AJ, Nasu K (1976) Oceanography of the Subarctic Pacific region, 1960–71 Bull 33. International North Pacific Commission, Vancouver

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeland HJ (2007) A short history of Ocean Station Papa and Line P. Prog Oceanogr 75(2):120–125. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2007.08.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeland HJ, Cummins PF (2005) Argo: a new tool for environmental monitoring and assessment of the world’s oceans, an example from the N.E. Pacific. Prog Oceanogr 64(1):31–44. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2004.11.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeland HJ, Gatien G, Huyer A, Smith RL (2003) Cold halocline in the northern California current: an invasion of subarctic water. Geophys Res Lett 30. doi:10.1029/2003GL016663

  • Freeland HJ, Roemmich D, Garzoli S, LeTraon P, Ravichandran M, Riser S, Thierry V, Wijffels S, Belbéoch M, Gould J, Grant F, Ignazewski M, King B, Klein B, Mork K, Owens B, Pouliquen S, Sterl A, Suga T, Suk M, Sutton P, Troisi A, Vélez-Belchi P, Xu J (2010) Argo—a decade of progress. In: Hall J, Harrison DE, Stammer D (eds) Proceedings of Ocean Obs’09: sustained ocean observations and information for society, vol 2, Venice, Italy, 21–25 September 2009. ESA Publication WPP-306. doi:10.5270/OceanObs09.cwp.32

  • Kalnay E et al (1996) The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 77(3):437–471. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oka E, Talley LD, Suga T (2007) Temporal variability of winter mixed layer in the mid- to high-latitude North Pacific. J Oceanogr 63(2):293–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roden GI (1964) Shallow temperature inversion in the Pacific Ocean. J Geophys Res 69(14):2899–2914. doi:10.1029/JZ069i014p02899

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suga T, Motoki K, Aoki Y, Macdonald AM (2004) The North Pacific climatology of winter mixed layer and mode waters. J Phys Oceanogr 34(1):3–22. doi:10.1175/1520-0485(2004)034<0003:TNPCOW>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uda M (1963) Oceanography of the subarctic Pacific Ocean. J Fish Res Bd Can 20:119–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno H, Yasuda I (2000) Distribution and formation of the mesothermal structure (temperature inversions) in the North Pacific subarctic region. J Geophys Res 105(C7):16885–16898. doi:10.1029/2000JC900020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno H, Yasuda I (2001) Warm and saline water transport to the North Pacific subarctic region: World Ocean Circulation Experiment and Subarctic Gyre Experiment data analysis. J Geophys Res 106(C10):22131–22141. doi:10.1029/2000JC000457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno H, Yasuda I (2003) Intermediate water circulation in the North Pacific subarctic and northern subtropical regions. J Geophys Res 108(C11):3348. doi:10.1029/2002JC001372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno H, Yasuda I (2005) Temperature inversions in the subarctic North Pacific. J Phys Oceanogr 35(12):2444–2456. doi:10.1175/JPO2829.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno H, Oka E, Suga T, Onishi H (2005) Seasonal and interannual variability of temperature inversions in the subarctic North Pacific. Geophys Res Lett 32(L20603). doi:10.1029/2005GL023948

  • Ueno H, Oka E, Suga T, Onishi H, Roemmich D (2007) Formation and variation of temperature inversions in the eastern subarctic North Pacific. Geophys Res Lett 34(L05603). doi:10.1029/2006GL028715

  • Wirts AE, Johnson GC (2005) Recent interannual upper ocean variability in the deep southeast Bering Sea. J Mar Res 63(2):381–405. doi:10.1357/002224005369372

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank W. Crawford for his helpful comments and fruitful discussions. The author would also like to thank S. Okkonen and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. We used ocean data along Line P archived by Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/oceans/data-donnees/line-p/index-eng.htm). Line P is managed and maintained by staff who work for Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. The author thanks them for their efforts. The Argo float data used in this study were collected and made freely available by the International Argo Project and the national programs that contribute to it (http://www.argo.ucsd.edu; http://argo.jcommops.org). Argo is a pilot program of the Global Ocean Observing System. The author thanks S. Matsunaga for his support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W5 Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan

    Hiromichi Ueno

Authors
  1. Hiromichi Ueno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiromichi Ueno.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ueno, H. Decadal variation of temperature inversions along Line P. J Oceanogr 69, 277–283 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-013-0172-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-013-0172-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation